Burnham-On-Sea beach has been awarded a Quality Coast Award, delighting tourism bosses in the town.
The awards, which were announced on Thursday (June 5th), shine the spotlight on the UK’s beaches which offer the best cleanliness, facilities and standards.
Cllr Ann Bown, Sedgemoor’s portfolio holder for Health and Wellbeing, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We are thrilled at gaining the award yet again. Many people take the beach and its cleanliness for granted.”
“At Sedgemoor, we employ staff, such as lifeguards and beach cleaners to help visitors and residents enjoy the beach. We also organise the letting of beach entertainment such as Punch and Judy, ice-creams, bucket and spades, trampolining, donkey/pony rides and bouncy castles. It all adds up to a wonderful place to spend a day or even just an hour to take in some fresh air.”
“We are also pleased to note that results from the Environment Agency, who monitor the quality of water for bathing, range from excellent down to good. Over the past five years the bathing quality has been consistently excellent, with Burnham beach falling occasionally into the good category, due to its proximity to the Rivers Parrett and Brue.”
Launched in April 2007, the Quality Coast Award scheme recognises different types of beaches throughout England that achieve the very highest standards. The Quality Coast Award scheme is run by ENCAMS, the independent environmental charity behind the Keep Britain Tidy campaign and environmental programme Eco-Schools. The Environment Agency (EA) also tests the sea water quality weekly while The Marine Conservation Society is primarily concerned with the quality of water for marine life.
Every Quality Coast Award beach has to meet strict criteria including clean sands free of litter and dog fouling; Consideration given to pedestrians’ safety on and around the beach; Assessment on how many people the beach can hold at one time; Good access to the coastal spot; Any facilities must be clean and in good working order; Quality Coast Award has been developed over the past two years consulting with the public, beach managers and safety advisors.
Our photo shows Cllr Duncan McGinty (left) with the Quality Coast Award flag and Graham Newing (right), Beach Safety Officer for Burnham-On-Sea
